We Speak College Football
Unbeaten No. 7 UCLA Closes Its Homestand Against a Nevada Defense Built to Bother People
The best story in the Big Ten takes a one-week break from conference play on Saturday, when No. 7 UCLA (7-0, 5-0 Big Ten) hosts Nevada (3-4, 2-2 Mountain West) at the Rose Bowl at 4:15 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
The Bruins are 7-0 for the first time since 2005, the last unbeaten team in the Big Ten and one of only three unbeatens left in the FBS, in first-year coach Bob Chesney’s debut season. They closed their last outing by beating Michigan State 28-10, and the formula has been consistent: a rushing attack averaging 233.0 yards per game, ninth in the FBS, with 24 rushing touchdowns, and a defense allowing 15.3 points and 272.9 yards per game that has forced 22 turnovers. Running back Wayne Knight has 13 total touchdowns, 12 of them on the ground, and UCLA has outscored opponents 139-53 in second halves. Safety Malik Hartford was PFF’s highest-graded safety in the country in Week 8. The one cloud is at quarterback, where the Bruins have turned to Ty Dieffenbach with starter Nico Iamaleava injured.
Nevada is not a typical 3-4 visitor. The Wolf Pack’s pass defense allows just 153.0 yards per game, sixth in the FBS, and opponents convert only 29.2 percent of third downs against them. Last week they beat San José State 28-13 by holding the ball for 38:18, limiting the Spartans to 204 total yards and getting two sacks and three tackles for loss from Dylan LaBarbera. Quarterback Luke Duncan went 18-of-29 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
The problem for Nevada is the other matchup. Their run defense ranks 100th nationally, and it has to face the ninth-best rushing offense in America. This is Nevada’s first trip to the Rose Bowl; the programs’ only previous meeting was a 58-20 UCLA win in the 2013 opener. If the Wolf Pack can drag the Bruins into a low-possession game, they can make the fourth quarter interesting. If UCLA’s ground game gets rolling early, the Bruins head into November still perfect.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 4:15 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network. Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California.
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We Speak College Football
Halloween Under the Lights in Ames: No. 24 Oklahoma State’s Air Show Meets a Desperate Iowa State
Iowa State gets its first night game of the season at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, and the opponent is the Big 12’s most entertaining surprise. No. 24 Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) visits the Cyclones (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1, with Halloween in Ames as the backdrop.
Almost nobody saw Oklahoma State coming. The Cowboys lost their opener to Tulsa, and first-year head coach Eric Morris — who brought quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins with him from North Texas — has gone 5-1 since, the only other loss a three-point game at Houston. Mestemaker has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country: 65.7 percent completions, 2,326 passing yards (second-most in the FBS), 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. Oklahoma State averages 40.0 points and 529.1 yards per game, and just hung 598 yards on Colorado in a 57-24 win that put the Cowboys back in the AP Top 25 after a one-week absence.
Iowa State’s week has been about a decision. After playing two quarterbacks in a 39-3 loss to Arizona, head coach Jimmy Rogers announced Tuesday that Jaylen Raynor will start. Raynor has started every game this season, going 93-of-158 for 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, with 145 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. The Cyclones need three more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and their path runs through home: their only loss in Ames came against Utah, and their last home game was a 45-42 shootout win over West Virginia.
History gives Iowa State a real argument. The Cyclones won the last two meetings, 20-13 in Stillwater last season and 34-27 in Ames in 2023, though Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 34-22-3. The deciding matchup is Mestemaker against an Iowa State defense allowing 24.1 points per game: if the Cyclones can slow the Cowboys’ tempo and make this a fourth-quarter game, the crowd and the moment give them a shot. If Oklahoma State gets to 40 again, the ranking survives and the Big 12 race keeps its wildest story.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 7:00 p.m. ET. TV: FS1. Venue: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa.
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